


Lay Your Head on Me

by queen_scribbles



Series: Straight Up Truth [11]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 01:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16007426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: Even after leaving Nathema, Jaaide still has to face down her greatest fear.





	Lay Your Head on Me

**Author's Note:**

> Post-Nathema Conspiracy, so spoilers for that

 

Jaaide slumped down in her chair, staring at the blank screen of the datapad in her hands. The cursor blinked intermittently, urging her to write something.

_‘Work on your report,’_ Lana had said. _‘It will be some measure of distraction, at least_.’

Normally she would have been right. Normally Jaaide would have hastened to lose herself in the emotional distance and rigid facts of simply recording what happened. But she couldn’t this time.

Nathema had cut too deep.

Imperial Intelligence trained her well. She was very good at writing concise, comprehensive  reports that contained the facts and just the facts, never her emotions or opinions. But this time the facts and her emotions were inextricably tangled together.  _I trusted him and I was **right** and I got him back only to almost lose him again to a damned zealot. I still might._

The sheer terror that admission dredged up sent her hurtling back to Nathema. To the clearing outside the temple, barely winning the battle to keep terror from turning to hysterics as she cradled Theron’s head in her lap and her normally dexterous fingers _fumbled_ pulling medical supplies from her belt.

_“No, no, no,_ please _.” She pressed one hand to the side of his neck, feeling for a pulse, found it weak and thready, and cupped her hand against his jaw. “No, Theron,_ please _. Please don’t go. I just got you back, you kriffing_ idiot **,** _you can’t leave me now!” She glanced up at Lana, hands shaking as she prepped the kolto injector. “Where’s the damn shuttle?!”_

_“It’s coming, Commander,” Lana assured her, crouching to aid her healing efforts with the Force. “But there is a great deal more vegetation here then previously. It might take a couple minutes to navigate.”  
_

_“I don’t know if he_ has _a couple minutes,” Jaaide shot back. She yanked aside the collar of Theron’s jacket and pressed the injector to his shoulder._

_“He will, because we’ll give it to him,” Lana said firmly. She glanced at her wrist comm. “The shuttle’s almost here. Just another minute, Commander, and time to board, then we can get him in the kolto tank.”  
_

And he’ll be fine. _She didn’t say the words, but Jaaide stubbornly needed to believe them. She couldn’t lose him. She **couldn’t**. Not now. Not ever, really, but immediately after being vindicated for her trust following Umbara and Copero seemed especially cruel._

_That ‘just another minute’ stretched for an eternity, and her hands didn’t stop shaking the whole way back to Odessen._

If we was honest, there was still a bit of a tremor, even now. It was why she held the datapad in a death grip despite lacking both motivation and intent to actually _record_ anything. It was something to steady her hands and provide a distraction so she didn’t stare at the medbay bed as if she could make Theron _wake up_ through willpower alone. If that worked, they wouldn’t be on the second day of her sitting at his bedside waiting for some sign of recovery. Not counting the three days in the kolto tank.

Jaaide sighed and scrubbed her eyes, red from tears and lack of sleep both. She really should at least _try_ to work on the report. For Lana.

She blinked a couple more times and stared at the screen, lips pursed. _Vinn Atrius tried to murder the love of my life and I killed him._

So. Maybe she was still too emotional to write the report. She tossed aside the datapad and stretched, feeling the familiar tug of scar tissue from her own close call with a lightsaber. _Was it this bad for you after Asylum?_ she wondered, one hand rubbing the spot as she settled back into the chair and glanced over at Theron.

Just in time to catch his eyelids fluttering ever so slightly. Jaaide tensed, practically holding her breath in anticipation, but there was no follow up even though she watched for several breathless heartbeats. She wilted back into her chair and rubbed her eyes again. She retrieved her datapad, pulling up the file where she’d archived copies of every message Theron had sent her. Even the one that hurt. Probably wasn’t going to help to read them, but she had most committed to memory, anyway, so it wasn’t like it could _hurt-_

“You look like hell.” The words were so quiet and hoarse it took a second to register as _his_ voice. 

Jaaide dropped the datapad, dimly heard it clatter against the floor, as she spun back toward the bed. Theron was was watching her, eyes only half open but concern still writ large across his face.

“You’re one to talk,” she managed around the crashing surge of relief filling her chest. “Stars, Theron, I-” The words tangled around the lump in her throat and died away as she pushed out of her chair and moved to sit on the bed.  “Welcome back.  Never scare me like that again.”

A weak smile curled  the corners of his mouth . “Thanks, boss. And I’ll try.”

“ _ **Theron**_.” Jaaide reached for his hand and held it in both of hers. “ _Never_. Scare me. Like that. Again.”

His brow furrowed in concern, the smile fading. “Never if I can help it,” he promised. “Really shook you up, huh?”

“You almost _died in my arms_ ,” she said, thumb running over his knuckles. “I had _just_ gotten you back after _months_ of everyone but me believing you were a blasted traitor, and the universe tried to take you away again! Hell yes, it shook me up.” She bent and kissed the center of his palm. “But that’s about three different conversations to have later. When you’ve had a chance to heal. For now...” She sniffled and flicked away gathering tears. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Theron’s smile was stronger this time. “Glad to be back.” He shifted his hand in hers to link their fingers. “I missed you. A lot.”

Jaaide nodded, returning the smile with a watery one of her own as she squeezed his hand. “I missed you, too. A lot. But having been where you are for very similar reasons, I think I should let you rest.”

He didn’t let go when she started to move away. “Jaaide. Stay. I.... It’ll be easier to rest if you’re here.”

Tired as she was, this smile bloomed full. “Of course.” He still didn’t let go when she tried to move to the chair. “Theron, darling, I love you, but you _do_ realize how sore my back is going to be if I sit on your bed for hours, right?”

“Never said you had to _sit_ ,” Theron pointed out, that mischievous gleam she’d missed too damn much back in his eyes.

She hesitated. “Won’t that hurt you?”

“Maybe.” He tugged her hand. “Maybe I don’t care.”

“Well, in that case...” Jaaide grinned and very slowly, very gingerly curled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t it be nice if just once we could get some time together without it requiring a threat to the galaxy and/or at least one near death experience?”

She heard Theron chuckle, felt him wrap an arm around her, but missed whatever he said in reply, her battle with exhaustion already lost. He was alive, would be alright. That was enough for her.

<><><><><><><>

“Commander, did you-” Lana cut herself off when she leaned into the medbay and caught sight of Jaaide dead to the world curled up next to--partially on top of--a very much awake, very much amused Theron Shan. “Oh.” She turned her attention to Theron, examining him with a critical eye. “You’re looking better.”

He nodded and glanced at Jaaide, then back at Lana. “My arm’s asleep,” he hissed in an undertone, fighting a losing battle with an idiotic grin.

Lana couldn’t help but chuckle. “If that’s the worst you have to complain about, you should count yourself lucky.”

“I do, believe me,” Theron said, eyes back on Jaaide. “And who said anything about complaining? I’d bet every credit in the Alliance she needs it.”

Lana nodded. “She does. More than you know.” She very deliberately shelved all the potential comments she wanted to make. About this being his fault, if he’d just _trusted_ them, how he’d all but broken the Commander’s heart and been the main reason behind many sleepless nights no matter how much Jaaide denied it. She may have had doubts before, worried about his intentions, but not now. Not with that look in his eyes as he watched Jaaide sleep.

As if sensing the direction  of her thoughts, Theron looked up. “Thank you. For having her back.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” she said bluntly. That dig she was willing to make.

“No, I know,” he sighed. “And you probably want to give me a couple of earfuls that I richly deserve, but-”

“Those can wait until later,” Lana cut him off. “For now I’ll let you two rest.”

Theron nodded, looking tired and relieved in equal measure. “’Preciate it.”

Lana dipped her head in return and went on her way, leaving the two of them where they belonged.

Together.

**Author's Note:**

> For a friend on tumblr, also multiple prompt fills. Title from "Little Do You Know" by Alex & Sierra


End file.
